From the Chronicle: 'Hybrid' Teaching Seeks to End the Divide Between Traditional and Online Instruction. This article has some comments about how students may participate better in online classes than in face-to-face classes. Here's a snippet: ...some students who rarely take part in classroom discussions are more likely to participate online, where they get time to think before they type and aren't put on the spot. Also this comment about Fairleigh Dickinson: ... which has taken the unusual step of requiring all of its students to take at least one course online each year, beginning with this year's freshman class. With the requirement, most students at the university -- even those who live just a short walk from classroom buildings -- will take about 10 percent of their courses online. Though officials here say they are proud of the institution's teaching, they also say that students should get used to taking online courses. And they hope the online-course requirement will help bring outside perspectives to their campus. I think these ideas are uncontroversial amongst denizens of this board, but it's nice to see them expressed in the Chronicle.
In my research about instructional design technology I've run across some papers from Aussie academics who see WebCT and other course management systems as one part of the campus experience. Asynchronous activities have become an after-hours requirement even for classroom-based teaching. This is partly because WebCT et al are an efficient way of disseminating information (an asynchronous multicast medium); but just as importantly, the asynchronous bulletin board activities are seen as an important part of the pedagogy.
The Chronicle has a Colloquy about this topic. See http://chronicle.com/colloquy/2002/hybrid/re.htm for the discussion.
Another recent article (from Brown U.): Higher Education and the Digital Rapids. A snippet: One need only look at the evolution of computer games to recognize the potential for engaging students. As the inexorable improvement in digital technology and our understanding of it continues, we will experience further improvements in its capacity, reliability, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use. Soon it will be impossible, even with great effort, to achieve the same learning results without the use of the new technology. ... Moreover, those institutions skilled in the use of technology to improve learning will soon be seen as more dynamic and effective than their less-engaged competitors. Therefore, institutions and faculty members that focus on excellent teaching will need to excel in the use of technology to remain leaders in teaching.
I have a friend who in about 75% through his MBA program at UMass. Apparently, you can enroll in the program entirely as a "classroom student" or you can enroll in the program entirely as a "distance student" or, as is becoming increasingly popular, do some of each. My friend, who takes two classes at a time, takes on classroom course and one online course each semester. Jack
In my MBA at National University, I took two computer-based, self-paced courses and two self-paced independent study courses. This was in 1983, however. Nothing new. Rich Douglas
